St. John Berchmans School follows strict protocols and mitigation measures for in-person learning.  We continue to follow the CDC’s recommendations, along with recommendations from the Chicago Department of Health.  The list below includes some of the protocols that are in place this school year.

• Masks:  All of our students, teachers and staff are required to wear masks at all times – both indoors and outdoors – with the exception of when they are eating lunch or a snack.  Acceptable masks include multi layered cloth masks, surgical masks, and KN95 masks.
• Social Distancing:  Students desks and workspaces are spaced out to achieve at least 3 foot distancing in all possible scenarios.  At lunch, students are spaced as close to the 6 food distancing mark as possible.
• Sanitizing:  Students sanitize their hands upon entry to their classrooms, and are encouraged to wash hands or sanitize them throughout the day.  Classrooms and facilities are cleaned daily.  
• Vaccinations:  98% of our school staff is fully vaccinated.  66% of our eligible K-8 students have submitted documentation that they have received one or both of their vaccinations.
• COVID Positive Cases and Close Contacts:  SJB follows the most current CDC guidelines for isolation and quarantine for both positive cases and close contacts.  All cases are documented locally as well as with the Archdiocese of Chicago COVID task force.  Families are notified if a positive case has been reported in their class.
• Remote Learning:  In the event that we pivot to remote learning for a single classroom or schoolwide, SJB is prepared to distribute devices and launch e-learning immediately.  We are prepared with enough devices to distribute to every student and our teachers have selected and have access to web-based learning platforms – Zoom for PK – 8th grades, SeeSaw for Pk-5th grades and Google Classrooms for 6th-8th grades – to which they can transition within 24 hours of any shutdowns.
• COVID Task Force:  SJB has assembled a team of parents, including physicians, medical professionals, facilities managers, and local business owners who work directly with the school administration to adjust protocols, answer questions and develop additional safety measures if necessary.

If you have questions about any of our COVID protocols, please contact our principal, Peggy Roketenetz, or our Director of Operations, Louis Russo.